A Haircut and a Shave
Something was different about Kyle. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.
Finally, it hit me.
“Kyle,” I said. “Did you shave?”
He smiled and raised a hand to his face. He stroked his beard. It looked like it’d been styled earlier that morning.
“You noticed?” he asked.
“Of course I did. You look so much better. I like the look.”
He threw his shoulders back and stood a little taller. “I finally decided to stop feeling sorry for myself. When I first got here, I adopted the ‘homeless man’ look. I stopped shaving or taking care of myself. Not anymore though.”
I thought back to the first time I met Kyle. His description was spot on – he had really committed to the ‘homeless man’ look. His beard was unruly and his hair was unkempt. He never smelled good. Our early classes were held in a lifeless, sterile-looking room as we waited on the prison administration to approve our garden. Kyle would sleep for the entire duration of each class. I’d wanted to kick him out of the class but decided to let him stay. After all, I was trying to teach the basics of gardening in a classroom, not in a garden. Pretty boring stuff. I’d probably sleep too.
But when we moved the class outside, Kyle’s entire demeanor changed. He worked hard, carefully focusing his attention on whatever task was at hand. He showed the same diligence I imagined he’d once shown at his old job as a first responder. He liked to work by himself and never complained. When we introduced two beehives to the garden, he volunteered to inspect the hives each week, showing our new gardening students that they needn’t be afraid. He started reading more and more, sharing what he’d learned with the other students as we did our roundups at the end of each class. I’d found some Neil DeGrasse Tyson books at Goodwill and Kyle had devoured them. He was starting to blossom.
Though he began to flourish, the beard and hair remained unkempt…until that day when they weren’t. The change was palpable. He walked more confidently and moved with a different air. One of the other students picked up on it, kidding with me. “Look at this guy. Bro thinks he’s Tony Stark now.”
Though he might have looked like Iron Man, he certainly behaved differently. He was not arrogant or cocky – he simply portrayed a quiet confidence. I could tell that he had wrestled with what he’d done, whatever had landed him in prison, and instead of wallowing in misery, he was taking accountability and moving forward. A common trope in prison is “don’t let the time do you, do the time.” Kyle had learned to do the time. It was a transformation I was overjoyed to see.
Later that day, Kyle sat quietly in the corner of the garden, planting bell pepper seeds by hand. A new student wandered over and asked if Kyle could teach him to plant seeds. Kyle scooted over and made room for the new guy. “Sure thing, I’d be happy to show you. Come watch.”
They worked quietly. Their movements were confident and sure. Life went on in the garden around them.
A common prayer at HeartBound is Ephesians 3:20 - for God to do “exceedingly, abundantly more than we could ever ask or imagine”.
Time and time again, God answers that prayer.
What a blessing it was to watch Kyle change his life. All it took was some time.
And a haircut and shave to prove it.